Robin Skone Palmer

Robin Skone Palmer

I’d be willing to bet my next paycheck that if you live in North America, you would consider this a great insult. South of the border, maybe not so much. In many European countries they would probably take it as a compliment. The scary part of this is that you don’t even have to say it — your companion can infer this simply by your facial expression or a sudden movement. According to Dave Barry (remember him?) “The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background is that deep down inside we all believe that we are above-average drivers.” You’re a good driver, aren’t you? So am I. I was very fortunate that on the day I got my “learner’s permit” when I turned 15-1/2 years old, my dad commenced to teach me the fine art of driving. I sat behind… Read More »

I swear to you, one of these days I’m going to hit a cyclist. NO — not on purpose! Good grief, what kind of person do you think I am? The people I’m talking about aren’t the real cyclists who wear helmets and gloves and those Lycra shorts that fit soooo tight that you can see the outline of every, ah, bulge and muscle and, uh ….. um, where was I? Oh yes, sorry. Lycra — those really tight-fitting shorts. The real cyclists wear proper (or perhaps not so “proper”) attire. No, I’m talking about the (insert word here … the ones I’m thinking of refer to diminished brain capacity) rider who: ride on the wrong side of the street, facing traffic wear a tee shirt and ball cap; no protective clothing or helmet have no lights or reflectors seem oblivious to cars around them. My little subdivision opens onto a… Read More »

Remember when you were a little kid and you learned, “Look Both Ways Before You Cross the Street”? Or perhaps you were taught “Stop, Look and Listen Before You Cross the Street.” Sound familiar? Every child knew that, and we would sometimes chant them to each other as we walked to school three blocks away. I was reminded of these while I was in Berkeley these past couple of weeks. Evidently these old sayings that the constant reminder to be careful, don’t apply in Berkeley. Or probably all of California. The laws of common sense apparently have been replaced by the laws of entitlement. Of course, in California the pedestrian has the right-of-way. And this makes sense when you look at the difference between a 150 pound person and a 1800 pound car. Naturally drivers should look out for pedestrians. But in Berkeley, this right-of-way has been taken to a… Read More »

Has this ever happened to you? You’re off to run errands — you get in the car, and realize you have forgotten (fill in the blank: shopping list, coupons, sunglasses, water …). Unless you’re super-organized, you have done that. And if you never have, please don’t tell me! So the other day, I got in the car, backed out of the garage, reached for my water bottle and … no water. Now this is the desert and September is still plenty hot, so I don’t go anywhere without a bottle of water. So, I stop the car and get out and go back to the house, unlock the steel security door and then the wood door, go inside and snag the water, go back out locking both doors and then unlocking the car which I’d locked out of force of habit. The whole exercise was less than a minute — let’s call… Read More »